Post: #1

Has anyone used Air Asia? What do you think?

Do you have to book way in advance or can you get reasonable fares a week before?

I'm planning a SE Asia trip using Singapore and/or Bangkok as a base.
Would like to see Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, Burma, Indonesia.

(Are there other good regional airlines? Lion Air?)

Post: #2

Flown Air Asia a few times. Planes are new. No complaints really.

Post: #3

Be careful with Air Asia. They charge you extra for everything, from a checked bag, to a credit card fee for paying online. In Bangkok, they fly from the old airport, which requires taking a taxi. Suvranabhumi the new airport is more easily accessible by train, so factor that into the cost when comparing ticket prices.

Post: #4

Try and make a few searches for tickets on their homepage and get a feel for their pricing policy. A week ahead should be fine while I don't know if you will get their cheapest rates. Also remember that you sometimes need a ticket out of the country already when arriving in order to be granted visa/access to the country.

Post: #5

I've flown with air asia and they were fine from what I saw.

Post: #6

Yeah I forgot that...they made me check my carry on because it was over 7 kg. Was like 300 php or something. They told me it wouldn't fit in the overhead, which is BS since their planes are all A-320's and of course the same size bag being 7 KG or less would have been no problem.

Post: #7

The Asian equivalent of Ryan Air. They'll Nickle and dime you and use smaller airports. Good for getting cheaply to off-the-beaten path destinations but for going between major cities Of use a proper airline.

Don't be surprised to see that they play bingo over the PA for passengers on their Chinese flights. It's bizarre.

Post: #8

AirAsia is really shitty. The only redeeming quality is that it's cheap. There's barely any leg room, and a minimum of 80% of people on their flights are low class. Loud mainland Chinese people yelling about what I imagine is utter nonsense. As other posters have said, AA will nickel and dime you for everything.. they charge extra for food and to check in bags. You'll also be arriving in the budget terminals at airports. When I flew AirAsia from KL we left from the budget terminal. My flight was delayed for about 2 hours and there was no bathroom in the terminal. To make a long story short, if you fly AirAsia you'll inevitably become more low class after the flight. I'd pay extra to avoid AirAsia. It looks like you're saving money, but the flight will cost you for more than the eye can see.

It's fine though if you're on a budget.

Post: #9

Air Asia is better than Tiger, Lion or Garuda in my opinion.

My #1 criteria is that they get me up and back down safely.

Most Air Asia flights I've taken were pretty short, so the paying for food has never really been a concern for me. Delays do happen but that's hardly rare in Asia.

You get what you pay for though. It might be worth it to fly Cebu Pacific or PAL for a few extra bucks.

Going to Boracay for example, Air Asia flies you in to Kalibo, so add 300-500 PHP plus 2 hours travel time to the ferry terminal in Caticlan, or pay a bit extra to fly in to Caticlan on CP.

What's your time worth?

For safety though they seem fine.

Post: #10

(07-13-2014 02:19 PM)buja Wrote:  Has anyone used Air Asia? What do you think?

Do you have to book way in advance or can you get reasonable fares a week before?

I'm planning a SE Asia trip using Singapore and/or Bangkok as a base.
Would like to see Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, Burma, Indonesia.

(Are there other good regional airlines? Lion Air?)

I must have done over 30 flights with Air Asia over the past 5 years. They are great for my kind of travel, where I dont like to plan in advance, and when Im ready to hit a new country I can usually find a cheap Air Asia flight departing in the next 2-3 days.

I find their customers are a mix of young Western travelers & Asian families - not necessarily low class as mentioned above.

It is true that their terminal/hub in KL is a LCCT (low cost carrier terminal), which can get crowded, but it still has Starbucks/Wifi, ATMs, a bar, restaurants, a few shops, toilets, but none of the brand name shops you find in normal terminals.

Also be aware the Air Asia terminal in KL is a 20 minute drive from the KL International Airport if you are transferring from a standard airline.

In terms of making Singapore your base, be aware that it is quite expensive for accommodation and booze. Other low cost airlines out of Singapore are Scoot and Jetstar, which are both good as well.

Bangkok or KL would probably be better bases for you.

In terms of requiring a onward/return ticket, I have only ever been asked twice in those 5 years and I just showed them a fake outward flight e-ticket I created on MS Word.

Post: #11

I took about 15 Air Asia flights last year.

You can book a week or two in advance and still get good fares, but they also have great sales every couple months. For an Australian anyway, I can get to just about any major city in Asia for less than $350 including baggage and food.

I don't care for a luxurious flight. I'm not spending $300 more on a ticket for a bit of extra leg room and a movie

Post: #12

(07-13-2014 03:06 PM)jackleballs Wrote:  Yeah I forgot that...they made me check my carry on because it was over 7 kg. Was like 300 php or something. They told me it wouldn't fit in the overhead, which is BS since their planes are all A-320's and of course the same size bag being 7 KG or less would have been no problem.

That is just the standard rule. Anything over 7kg is at risk of falling out of the overhead compartment and hitting your head. Some airlines are strict about this rule and others not so much.

Post: #13

Flown them several times and they are good. Even though they are a low cost carrier I find the seats to be really comfortable (might have been leather, can't remember) and often the flights are half full so you can get an entire row. The flight attendants are also usually pretty hot but I guess this is typical of an Asian airline unlike in America. The prices were absurdly low a few years ago before gas prices went up. They still are usually a great deal and often over half as cheap as a traditional airline.

When you book be sure you uncheck any additional boxes like for bags, insurance, etc. They sorta try to trick you so just make sure the price is what you expected. It was actually worse a few years ago as the booking thing would automatically add all this other shit and you really had to search in order to uncheck it. Now it still adds one bag and travel insurance but it's pretty easy to figure out how to eliminate those.

I'm traveling soon and did not order a check in bag for my small carry on. I'm hoping they won't care. I've read mixed things online that on some flights ppl bring in huge bags and no one cares so let's see if I get away with it as my bag may be right around 7kg.

Post: #14

(07-14-2014 05:00 AM)nomadicdude Wrote:  Flown them several times and they are good. Even though they are a low cost carrier I find the seats to be really comfortable (might have been leather, can't remember) and often the flights are half full so you can get an entire row. The flight attendants are also usually pretty hot but I guess this is typical of an Asian airline unlike in America. The prices were absurdly low a few years ago before gas prices went up. They still are usually a great deal and often over half as cheap as a traditional airline.

When you book be sure you uncheck any additional boxes like for bags, insurance, etc. They sorta try to trick you so just make sure the price is what you expected. It was actually worse a few years ago as the booking thing would automatically add all this other shit and you really had to search in order to uncheck it. Now it still adds one bag and travel insurance but it's pretty easy to figure out how to eliminate those.

I'm traveling soon and did not order a check in bag for my small carry on. I'm hoping they won't care. I've read mixed things online that on some flights ppl bring in huge bags and no one cares so let's see if I get away with it as my bag may be right around 7kg.

You'll be fine. I didn't check in anything and was lugging around 10-12 kilos on my flights. Didn't have any issues

Post: #15

AirAsia is pretty good. I don't think they can be considered equivalent to Ryan Air or Spirit... Charging food and luggage separately isn't really nickel and diming in my opinion. I've had better luck getting tasty meals on AirAsia than traditional airlines and I like being able to choose my meal in advance.

Their crappy LCCT in KL has now been replaced with klia2, which I passed by a couple days ago and it seems very decent. It's connected to the other other terminal and the city by a very fast train. It only took 33 minutes to get to the city. (Takes up to 3-4 hours for Jakarta )

I agree with Steve9 that KL or Bangkok seem better than Singapore for a base.

Post: #16

Agree with much of the favourable comments above. I found them great

I was unaware of the newer,closer Low cost terminal to the major airport in KL. From memory the bus to the city was over an hour away.

Travel light and watch for the extras and upsells and be aware of connections...making sure you have enough time.

Their cheaper flights do tend to be crazy hours as well which could leave you in that shitty position of having to spend money on a bed or a long night in the terminal. For a few extra bucks get ones that fit in with your timings.

Post: #17

On my last Air Asia flight to Singapore it was $5 for an awesome chicken rice meal, my flight there was also only $60. Last time I flew Delta, United etc I had to pay $25 just to check one fucking bag, now that`s what I call nickel and diming. The lowest I have paid for an Air Asia flight was $30 after tax. My friend is also flying from Sydney to KL for $300. The saddest thing is the service is the same if not better than most American domestic flights I have been on. When you are paying such a pitiful amount to fly you really cannot complain unless you are a complete princess. No offense Travolta, but your post sounds similar to an angry woman ranting on Trip Advisor about her Motel 6 room that had dust in it. For what you pay with Air Asia you cannot expect an Emirates business class experience.

Post: #18

They do charge you for everything. But if it is cheap can't expect much.

I remember going to the counter, they pointed me to a machine that was a 2 min walk away to get my ticket and then came back to check my luggage. I guess it was against the rules to give me my ticket I guess.

Out of Manila, Air Asia has last departure rights or something. In other words, other airlines get priority. My flight was delayed by 3 hours.

But it is cheap and I have flown it about 5 times. Just don't be on some tight schedule.

I will fly them again if they are going where I need to go. But I know what to expect.

Post: #19

(07-14-2014 08:33 AM)Kdog Wrote:  On my last Air Asia flight to Singapore it was $5 for an awesome chicken rice meal, my flight there was also only $60. Last time I flew Delta, United etc I had to pay $25 just to check one fucking bag, now that`s what I call nickel and diming. The lowest I have paid for an Air Asia flight was $30 after tax. My friend is also flying from Sydney to KL for $300. The saddest thing is the service is the same if not better than most American domestic flights I have been on. When you are paying such a pitiful amount to fly you really cannot complain unless you are a complete princess. No offense Travolta, but your post sounds similar to an angry woman ranting on Trip Advisor about her Motel 6 room that had dust in it. For what you pay with Air Asia you cannot expect an Emirates business class experience.

Yeah, they blow basically any US based airline away save perhaps JetBlue or VirginAmerica. Even though they are "low cost" I've never felt their staff treats people like shit or that they are going to extremes to nickle and dime you like most US airlines. The irony is that airlines cannot get away with shit treatment in Asia like they can in America because the traveling public expects more.

And in terms of flying into second rate airports I think that only applies in KL (which apparently has changed), BKK, and Manila. In most other SE Asian destinations there is only one main airport so if you are going to Singapore, Jakarta, Bali, Saigon, Cambodia, Chaing Mai, etc you are going to be fine.

Once I paid $25 with taxes for a flight from Borneo to KL--- pretty sure the cheapest flight I've ever paid for in my life.

Post: #20

Excellent comments gentlemen. Greatly appreciated.